Trading in a dress for a pair of sweats

It’s been slow. Not in the Gangloff household or in the water, but certainly on the blog. Without much time to even say “hello,” “goodbye,” and “goodnight,” Mark, Annabelle, and I have been working, swimming, hosting out of towners, tailgating (WAR EAGLE!), cooking, cleaning, researching, walking, taking statistics exams, teething, running, lifting weights, traveling, etc. (try to figure out who was doing which activities…). With the laundry list (oh yeah, we’ve done laundry,too) of things that have taken our time in the last week or so, the blog has taken a backseat. But now, I’ve returned.

The Golden Goggle awards will be held next Monday night in NYC. We’re not going. I’m sad about it. We are not going for a number of reasons: (a) We don’t have a sitter for Annabelle, (b) we don’t want to spend the money (yes, USA Swimming pays for the athletes to attend, but not for spouses, not for food for the entire trip, not for parking at the airport, not for boarding the dog at the kennel, etc.), (c) we will be pooped out after hosting Annabelle’s first birthday party this weekend (yay!), and (d) Mark’s gotta train. So, in sum, we’re not going to Golden Goggles this year.

I do have a request of all you readers, however. The Golden Goggles is ultimately to celebrate great swimmers and swims throughout the year. There are a few categories such as Best Male and Female Athletes, Best Race, Best Coach, etc. The category that I am interested in this year is the Perseverance Award. A handful of athletes are up for the award. I just voted for Amanda Beard.

A few weeks ago she posted on Facebook that she was up for the award. I then sent her this comment:

“Congrats on the nomination! When Mark watched you swim this summer he said to me, "Man, I remember what bad shape you were in after Annabelle was born, can you believe Amanda is already swimming fast?!" Thanks a lot, Mark. Anyway... quite impressive. You definitely have my vote! :)”

This was her response:

“Thanks for all your sweet words. Being a mom takes a toll on your body but also makes you have a different outlook on life itself. While I love swimming my family comes first. I think that makes it easier to just swim bc it's fun. Anyways, I love your blogs! So fun to read. Have fun with your cheeseburger. Blaise is going to be an ewok! Haha. So fun!!!”

Have you voted yet? Click here to vote for this year’s Golden Goggle Awards.

The Golden Goggle Awards brings back great memories of times with friends (Jeri, Eric, Davo, Demerae, Bryce, David, Jimi, Rob, Dave and all the rest whom we’ve spent time with—thanks!). My favorite memory, however is from Golden Goggles 2006. Actually it was the morning before Golden Goggles. Mark and I were poor (as in dirt poor). We were engaged to get married. I was in graduate school (the first time). We decided to go to breakfast at this hole in the wall joint (it was in LA that year) because we couldn’t afford the breakfast buffet at the nice hotel where we were staying (not on our own dime). I’m not sure why this breakfast stands out in my memory, but to this day, it was the best breakfast I have ever had. Good conversation. Great French toast. Love of my life (Mark, not the French toast).

So, this Monday night, instead of jet setting (I make this sound much cooler than it is) to NYC, we will be curled up on the sofa reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See to Annabelle, ordering Moe’s to go, and making to-do lists for our first family Thanksgiving at home (our home).

Good luck to Amanda and the rest. We’ll be thinking of you while we veg out in our sweat pants.

Today was special

After the race, Mark took Annabelle for a little Daddy/daughter swim before the rest of us joined them in the water.

This weekend started out pretty typical. Mark traveled (to New Mexico for a couple of Fitter and Faster events) and Annabelle and I held down the home front.

Saturday, rather than waiting at home for Mark's working weekend to end, Annabelle and I drove to Atlanta to meet our sweet friends Eric and Jeri. Eric hosted the first ever Swim For Your Life open water swim to benefit Livestrong and cancer research and we weren't going to miss a chance to support him.

Once in Atlanta, while I was getting dressed and catching up with my sweet friend, Jeri, Annabelle sat in the living room with Aaron (Peirsol) and Eric. When I peeked out to check on her I saw all three kneeling in front of the tv. Eric and Aaron were playing Nintendo and Annabelle was on her knees just watching them. Once we were all showered and dressed, we headed to Eric's pre-race banquet. We ate, talked, and supported Eric as he welcomed the participants with a touching speech about his experience with cancer.

Some participants couldn't quite figure out who Annabelle and I were and how we were connected to Eric. They didn't know that we've known Eric for almost a decade. They didn't know that Mark and Eric lived next door to each other all through college. They didn't know that Eric's girlfriend, Jeri, is also my best friend. They didn't know that I have sat with Janet (Eric's mom at swim meets for years. They didn't know that we love Eric like a brother. I also don't wear a sign that say, "My husband is an Olympian," so people usually just see me as a funny little girl with a baby that seems to start a conversation with just about anyone. Sometimes people just think that I'm a groupy (maybe I am). See, for us, it is not uncommon to fly "solo" without Mark. We attend plenty of functions, dinners and social events less one. I feel comfortable being a third wheel because it is often that Mark is traveling and I am home alone. What else would I do? Stay home every time Mark traveled? It's not in my nature. So, instead, I pull on my big girl panties and tag along with friends. Such was the case Saturday night.

After dinner we headed back to Eric's house. I put the baby down and waited for Mark who was to land at the Atlanta airport at midnight. Finally, long after I had given up on waiting up, Mark showed up (1:30am!). We said a quick hello and went to sleep-we were planning on leaving the house a little after 7am to head to the lake for the swim.

Exhausted, we all rolled out of bed and shuffled to the car (everyone was dressed except for Annabelle who was still in her PJs-so jealous). We arrived at the swim venue.

Though I had hoped to (and planned on) swim, someone had to stay on the beach with Annabelle.

We watched our friends swim. We watched our friends' parents swim. We watched children and adults swim. All were swimming for the cause. By the way, I am sniffling back tears as I type because the entire day was so special. It was so touching. It was such an honor to be a part of.

Eric, Janet (Eric's mother), and Mark after the race. After Eric ran in, he noticed that his mother was still out in the water. He went back out to finish the race with his mother.

Annabelle was in the middle of everything. During a quick little photo op, Annabelle decided to try a handful of sand...

Some people ask if Mark gets paid for swimming in things like this. For this particular event, the answer is absolutely not. Eric is our friend. We attended and Mark swam to support him. Mark actually paid to be a part of it. That's the point, right? To raise money for cancer research and awareness.

Very rarely do we get a picture of the two of us together (I am usually behind the camera), but we got a quick squeeze in before the swim.

I started crying tonight. I was overwhelmed with emotion-after such a wonderful day I was overwhelmed with gratuity. Now, I'm not trying to be too mushy, but sometimes I just can't help it. Here are the reasons why I am so thankful:

• I am happy and healthy
• My husband is happy and healthy
• My baby is happy and healthy
• My husband loves what he does
• I love what I do
• We have such good friends that we lump them into the category of 'family'
• All of our friends (even those that don't have children yet) love our baby
• Some of our friends (even those that don't have children yet) love her so much that they are willing to change her poopy diapers
• We are able to show our support of our friends so that they know how much we love them

Sniff, sniff. Tissue, please.

Okay... enough lovey, dovey, mushy, love stuff.

The highlights of my weekend include:

• Arriving at Eric's lake house which immediately brought back memories of college
• Listening to Jeri explain the mysterious stain on the table (let's just say it included a diaper)
• Watching Aaron and Eric teach Annabelle about Super Mario Bros.
• Swimming with Annabelle in the lake with Mark and Jeri
• Eating my weight in biscuits with Bryce (a dear friend and Mark's college roommate and roommate from the 2004 Olympic games) at Cracker Barrel
• Getting to see so many friends that we typically do not get to see because everyone lives in their own corner of the country
  

Did I mention that I also got a free t-shirt?

Aaron and Annabelle on the beach. Both look a little tired after the 1k race.

What a day!

Pan Pacs, etc.

Well, we are all (Mark, Annabelle and I... even Daisy the dog, too) back home and able to reflect on the last week--the last season.

Satisfaction. Relief. Happiness. Pride.

After Mark qualified for the Pan Pacific Games his job was far from complete. Mark went straight from the National Championships to training camp and then to the Pan Pacific Games. A total of 3 weeks and 2 days away from home, even though each leg of this trip was in California.

Annabelle and I, as you know, traveled to Irvine, CA to cheer for our everyday Olympian. Mark's swims at Nationals earned him a spot on the National team and on the Pan Pacific Games team, however Mark had to continue to swim fast at the Pan Pacific Games in order to secure a spot on the short course world championship team and the long course world championship team. He not only accomplished this, but his swims in the 100m breaststroke catapulted him to the top American spot (he was only the second fastest American after Nationals).

Mark looked strong and confident in each race as Annabelle and I (and all of our dear friends) were hot and tired in the stands. This picture epitomizes roughly 6 hours of each day of our trip to California.

Notice the great red, white and blue necklace courtesy of Tyler Clary's mother (see, I told you we were all family up in the stands). All of us were decked out each and every session. Annabelle, however, was the star of the stands. The Lochte Family was Annabelle's biggest fan club. Ryan's aunt made sure to see Annabelle and her outfits each session. Man, do I feel lucky that so many people are good to us.

Back to Mark... Mark raced three times (50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, and the 400 medley relay) and came home with three medals (silver, bronze, and gold respectively). Mark's performance not only sets him up great for the next two years, but should help with the sponsorship situation, too. He knew what he had to do... and did it (times 3!).


Annabelle and I also cheered for Eric with our dear friend Jeri and her family. Eric also swam well and earned a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke earning himself a spot on the world championship team.


When I look at this picture I think about my conversation with Annabelle in 20 years when I get to say, "Remember when Aunt Jeri and I took you to California to cheer for Dad and Uncle Eric..."

Did you miss Pan Pacs? You can catch up by watching races and interviews here.

Right now Mark and I are catching up on the Mad Men episodes that we missed out on due to our travels. Mark is taking a "break" from swimming now and is looking forward to not seeing the pool this week. This week does, however, begin his crazy clinic schedule. This, I am not looking forward to... but, this is part of the deal. Dream job=sacrifice (no rest, travel, crazy schedules, single parenthood on the weekends).

While Mark is pool hopping across the country, today marked my first day back as a crazy, busy, and exhausted PhD student. I'm not sure how we'll manage this fall, but I'm confident that we'll figure it out. Wish us luck this "season." Swimming fast and watching anxiously is tough... but, the working fall may come close to finishing off this tired swim family. Again, I remind myself: dream job=sacrifice. It's a good thing that both of us love what we do because if we didn't, I'm not sure if it would be worth all of this. Honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way...

Glued to the computer

Right now I have 5 tabs open on my internet browser as I wait for Mark's event (200m breaststroke). I am watching the meet via live streaming on swimnetwork.com, I am (of course) logged into Facebook, I am blogging via Blogger.com, I am checking updated articles on swiminfo.com and I am browsing for cute baby clothes on etsy.com.

Mark's event is swimming now but there are a ga-zillion heats and he will be towards the end, so I have time to catch up with old friends via Facebook, shop and catch up on a little swimming news. What can I say? I am a product of my generation. The only thing that would complete this picture would be Jersey Shore playing on the tv in front of me (I plan on watching the season premier that I missed last week later today).

Annabelle is taking a nap in her red, white and blue dress, "cheering" for Daddy.

Evidently the meet has been interesting since I left. DQ's, upsets and rising stars. I wish I could have stayed longer.

Today we will be cheering for our dear friend Eric (and Mark, of course). Eric and Mark trained together at Auburn, roomed together in Beijing and have always been great buds. Swimming is so wierd. There probably isn't anyone that Mark wants to beat more than Eric, but Eric is one of his best friends in the world. Both are fierce in the water, but as soon as they touch the wall they are making plans for dinner together. What makes this relationship even more perfect is that Eric's girlfriend is one of my best friends from Auburn, too!

The other night (Mark was on taper so we were obviously restricted to the house... the sofa) we were watching So You Think You Can Dance (against Mark's will). I get a text message from Jeri. She says that she is watching Toddlers and Tiaras and jokes that she will make all of Annabelle's pageant dresses (Mark would die before Annabelle will be allowed to enter a pageant). Within minutes Mark gets a text from Eric that says, "I can't believe that I am watching Toddlers and Tiaras." Mark returns the message consoling Eric and telling him that he is having to watch SYTYCD. He then follows up with "At least you don't have to watch the 'My Baby Can Talk' baby sign language DVDs."

It was as if all four of us were sitting on the sofa together--the boys rolling their eyes and Jeri and I making them watch girlie reality tv. Yeah right... I think they secretly like it.

To support Eric in his other endevors check out the great things he is doing with Livestrong. Click here to help Eric fight against cancer.